Daily Scripture Reflection & Prayer: August 11, 2024

Date: 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Scripture Text:  John 6:41-51

The Jews murmured about Jesus because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven, "and they said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph? Do we not know his father and mother? Then how can he say, 'I have come down from heaven'?"

Jesus answered and said to them, "Stop murmuring among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day. It is written in the prophets: They shall all be taught by God. Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world."

Breaking the text open – background and summary:

The gospel for today gives us another section of Jesus’ “Bread of Life Discourse” as recounted in the Gospel of John. In today’s segment, Jesus responds to skeptics, insisting that He is sent from the Father and that unlike the manna during the exodus experience, He is the “living bread” and whoever eats this bread will live forever.

Meditating on the text with personal questions:

Do I embrace Jesus as the “bread of life” sent by the Father so that I might have life and have it more abundantly? Do I acknowledge that He gave himself completely for the life of the world?

Praying:

LORD, Almighty Father, You sent your only begotten Son, Jesus, to us as our brother, to dwell among us, to reveal your love and your will for our salvation. Help us to recognize His example of the life we, too, are called to live here on earth. Send your Spirit to guide us in our daily lives and to open our minds and hearts to your transformative love. Grant that we may recognize Jesus’ sacrifice so that we might have life and have it in abundance. We ask this in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Spirit, one LORD, forever and ever. Amen.